General

Neuroscience Courses

Courses

Potential elective courses may be listed in Neuroscience, Cell Biology, Genetics, Pharmacology or other departments. This is a partial list of available courses:

NEUR 402: PRINCIPLES OF NEURAL SCIENCE Credit Hours: 3.0
Offered every spring semester.
ZIGMOND, R.
Description: Lecture/discussion course covering concepts in cell and molecular neuroscience, principles of systems neuroscience as demonstrated in the somatosensory system, and fundamentals of the development of the nervous system. This course will prepare students for upper level Neuroscience courses and is also suitable for students in other programs who desire an understanding of neurosciences.
Prereq: CBIO 453. Cross-listed as BIOL 402.

NEUR 411 : NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE Credit Hours: 3.0
Offered alternating years, fall semester (even years - beginning fall 2008).
MILLER . R.
Description: Designed to show how basic research in neuroscience has contributed to the management of clinical problems in human neurology and to discuss some of the further challenges posed by human disease for research in neurobiology. The general format will include clinical descriptions of patient presentation, discussion of the disease mechanisms and an analysis of contributions of cellular and systems neuroscience to understanding of the human disorder. Specific topics to be discussed include myasthenia gravis, dementia (including Alzheimer's disease), multiple sclerosis, Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, poliomyelitis, seizures and strokes.
Prereq: NEUR 402 or NEUR 405.

NEUR 415 : NEUROSCIENCE SEMINARS Credit Hours: 1.0
Offered every fall and spring semesters. Only register for this one time.
Description: Current topics of interest in neurosciences. Students attend weekly seminars. From this series, students prepare critiques. No credit is given for less than 75% attendance.

NEUR 419: CRITICAL THINKING IN NEUROSCIENCE Credit Hours 3.0
Offered every fall semester.
FRIEL, D.
Description: The goal of this course is to develop the student’s critical reasoning skills through reading and discussing primary research papers. Each year, the course will focus on 3-4 different topical areas selected by participating Neurosciences faculty members. Students will receive a letter grade based on their contributions to discussions, and at the discretion of the faculty, performance on exams and/or term paper.
Prereq: NEUR 402.

NEUR 424: SENSORY NEUROSCIENCE Credit Hours 3.0
Offered alternating years, fall semester (odd years – beginning fall 2013).
WESSON, D.
Description: How do our brains and those of other animals allow for the acquisition and processing of unique sensory percepts? In what manners might sensory systems interact to enhance perception? Further, what happens to sensory system function in cases of neurological disorders? This course is a topic introduction to sensory neuroscience, a major area of modern neuroscience with connections to neurology, psychology, ethology, and related topics. Topics include visual, auditory, somatosensory, gustatory, and olfactory neuroscience. We will also examine the mechanisms and uses of magnetoreception, electroreception, echolocation, and other 'special' senses. All of the above topics will be covered under the theme of how animals actively sample their sensory environments for information.

NEUR 425 : STEM CELL BIOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS Credit Hours: 3.0
Offered every spring semester.
BUNTING, K.
Description: This course is intended to teach current understanding of stem cells as it relates to their characterization, function, and physiologic and pathological states. The course will expose students to the current understanding of various types of stem cells, including embryonic and adult stem cells of various tissues, techniques for their isolation and study. Experimental models and potential biomedical therapeutic applications will be discussed. The course will be taught by the faculty of the “Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine” who are affiliated with multiple departments of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic Foundation and the partnering biomedical companies. Cross-listed as PATH 425.

NEUR 427: NEURAL DEVELOPMENT Credit Hours: 3.0
Offered alternating years, spring semester (odd years - beginning in spring 2013).
BROIHIER, H.
Description: Topics include cell commitment, regulation of proliferation and differentiation, cell death and trophic factors, pathfinding by the outgrowing nerve fiber, synapse formation, relationships between center and periphery in development and the role of activity. Cross-listed as BIOL 427.

NEUR 430: STEM CELL BIOLOGY, THERAPEUTICS, AND ENGINEERING Credit Hours: 3.0
Offered every spring semester.
LAVIK, E. and MILLER, R.
Description: This course is designed to provide students with the foundation in the biology of stem cells, their roles as therapeutics, and the engineering approaches that can be used to direct stem cells and control their microenvironments. The course will cover the current understanding of various types of stem cells, including embryonic and adult stem cells, techniques for their isolation and study, and their application as therapeutic agents, with a particular focus on applications in the CNS. Experimental models and potential biomedical therapeutic applications will be discussed. Engineering approaches to direct the fate of stem cells will also be presented and discussed. The course will be taught by the faculty of the “Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine” who are affiliated with multiple departments of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic Foundation and the partnering biomedical companies.
Offered as NEUR 430 and EBME 430.

NEUR 432: CURRENT TOPICS IN VISION RESEARCH Credit Hours: 3.0
Offered alternating years, spring semester (last offered in spring 2010).
PARK, P.
Description: Vision research is an exciting and multidisciplinary area that draws on the disciplines of biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, structural biology, neuroscience, and pathology. This graduate level course will provide the student with broad exposure to the most recent and relevant research currently being conducted in the field. Topics will cover a variety of diseases and fundamental biological processes occurring in the eye. Regions of the eye that will be discussed include the cornea, lens, and retina. Vision disorders discussed include age-related macular degeneration, retinal ciliopathies, and diabetic retinopathy. Instructors in the course are experts in their field and are members of the multidisciplinary visual sciences research community here at Case Western Reserve University. Students will be exposed to the experimental approaches and instrumentation currently being used in the laboratory and in clinical settings. Topics will be covered by traditional lectures, demonstrations in the laboratory and the clinic, and journal club presentations. Students will be graded on their performance in journal club presentations (40%), research proposal (40%), and class participation (20%). Cross-listed as PATH 432 and PHRM 432.

NEUR 440 : SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION Credit Hours: 3.0
Offered spring semester, based on student interest.
STROWBRIDGE, B.
Description: This course will explore the basic mechanisms of synaptic transmission that operate at central and peripheral synapses. Students will read and present a mixture of historical and modern papers that established the fundamental principles of synaptic transmission and plasticity. The course will begin with a brief review of cellular neurophysiology and the techniques used to study synaptic potentials. We will then read classic papers by Katz and colleagues that defined the mechanisms controlling transmitter release at the neuromuscular junction. Next we will consider the role of calcium in regulating the release of neurotransmitters and in short-term modulation of synaptic potentials. We will then explore pre- and post-synaptic processes such as receptor saturation and vesicle dynamics that govern the amplitude and time course of postsynaptic potentials. Quantal analysis and silent synapses will be discussed in the context of the present-day controversies regarding long-term potentiation at central synapses. We will also consider the relationship between short- and long-term synaptic plasticity and behavioral functions such as learning and memory. Occasional faculty lectures will complement student presentations on primary research articles. Student grades will be based on two short (5 page) essays and class participation. Prereq: Permission of the course director.

NEUR 473: INTRODUCTION TO NEUROBIOLOGY Credit Hours: 3.0
Offered every fall semester.
CHIEL, H.
Description: How nervous systems control behavior. Biophysical, biochemical, and molecular biological properties of nerve cells, their organization into circuitry, and their function within networks. Emphasis on quantitative methods for modeling neurons and networks, and on critical analysis of the contemporary technical literature in the neurosciences. Term paper required. Two lectures per week. Prereq: Consent of department. Cross-listed as BIOL 473

NEUR 475: PROTEIN BIOPHYSICS Credit Hours: 3.0
Offered every spring semester.
BUCK, M.
Description: This course focuses on in-depth understanding of the molecular biophysics of proteins. Structural, thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of protein function and structure-function relationships will be considered at the advanced conceptual level. The application of these theoretical frameworks will be illustrated with examples from the literature and integration of biophysical knowledge with description at the cellular and systems level. The format consists of lectures, problem sets, and student presentations. A special emphasis will be placed on discussion of original publications.
Offered as BIOC 475, CHEM 475, PHOL 475, PHRM 475, and NEUR 475.

NEUR 477: CELLULAR BIOPHYSICS Credit Hours: 4.0
Offered every spring semester.
JONES, S.
Description: This course focuses on a quantitative understanding of cellular processes. It is designed for students who feel comfortable with and are interested in analytical and quantitative approaches to cell biology and cell physiology. Selected topics in cellular biophysics will be covered in depth. Topics include theory of electrical and optical signal processing used in cell physiology, thermodynamics and kinetics of enzyme and transport reactions, single ion channel kinetics and excitability, mechanotransduction, and transport across polarized cell layers. The format consists of lectures, problem sets, computer simulations, and discussion of original publications. The relevant biological background of topics will be provided appropriate for non-biology science majors.
Offered as BIOC 476, NEUR 477, PHOL 476, PHRM 476.

NEUR 478: COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE Credit Hours: 3.0
Offered alternating years, spring semester (last offered in spring 2006)
THOMAS, Peter (MATHEMATICS)
Description: Computer simulation of neurons and neural circuits, and the computational properties of nervous systems. Students are taught a range of models for neurons and neural circuits, and are asked to implement and explore the computational and dynamic properties of these models. The course introduces students to dynamical systems theory for the analysis of neurons and neural circuits, as well as to cable theory, passive and active compartmental modeling, numerical integration methods, models of plasticity and learning, models of brain systems, and their relationship to artificial neural networks. Term project required. Two lectures per week. Cross-listed with EECS 478 & BIOL 478.

NEUR 540: ADVANCED TOPICS IN NEUROSCIENCE ETHICS Credit hours: 0.
Offered every other spring semester (even years - beginning 2008)
STAFF
Description: This course offers continuing education in responsible conduct of research for advanced graduate students. The course will cover the nine defined areas of research ethics through a combination of lectures, on-line course material and small group discussions. Six 2-hr meetings per semester. Maximum of 15 students with preference given to graduate students in the Neurosciences program. All Neurosciences graduate students matriculating in 2004 and later must complete this course (typically during their 3rd or 4th year in the program.)